A photograph of the St Asaph anaerobic digestion facility showing digestion tanks, gas storage and biogas CHP engine
Biogen provides an integrated food waste management solution for supermarkets, caterers, pubs, hotels, food manufacturers and local authorities across the UK.
Biogen’s plant at Waen, St Asaph in Wales processes waste from a variety of county’s such as Conwy, Swansea, Denbighshire and Flintshire. The anaerobic digestion (AD) plant processes 22,500 tonnes of food waste per year which produces enough biogas to fuel the GE’s type J320 1MWe Jenbacher gas engine. The electricity generated by the gas engine is enough to power 2,250 homes.
One of GE’s containerised Jenbacher J320 biogas CHP engines located at Biogen’s St Asaph anaerobic digestion facility in Wales
The recoverable heat from the gas engine is used to maintain the digester temperature at 40°C and the pasteurisation unit at 70°C. The heat is also used for site facilities such as hot water and heating, whilst the electricity is also used for various applications across the plant. The surplus power is classed as renewable energy and is transferred to the grid to support the national power network.
The first overhaul of the gas engine, at 20,000 hours, was completed smoothly by co-ordinating site activities such as waste collection and gas production to minimise the downtime, limiting disruption to operational activities.
Testimonial
David Eynon, the Site Manager,
“I have had the pleasure of working with Clarke Energy in North Wales at both our sites, initially at Caernarfon in 2013, followed by St Asaph in 2014. Clarke Energy provide excellent support, undertaking all servicing and maintenance requirements, enabling the CHP’s availability to be maximised. Without this service Biogen could not meet its objectives ensuring food waste is diverted from landfill and used to provide renewable energy before being used as fertiliser. It’s a great partnership that is working well.”
